Hurricane Beryl - Jun 2024

Tropical cyclone Beryl has become a major hurricane forecast to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to the Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane headed toward the Windward Islands (Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Martinique). On 29 June evening, Beryl was about 960 km/h east-southeast of Barbados with maximum sustained winds of near 136 km/h, moving west at around 30 km/h. Maximum sustained winds of 129 – 177 km/h or greater, rainfall accumulations of 100 to 150mm, very rough and hazardous marine conditions and storm surges are expected across St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with possible higher winds offshore. Large and destructive waves/swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents. The government of St Vincent and the Grenadines has urged the population to gather emergency supplies. Shelters are to be accessible by 6 p.m. local time today. Volunteers are active in their various communities, checking the vulnerable population and assisting families preparing for the event. (ECHO, 30 Jun 2024)

Hurricane Beryl, the earliest hurricane to reach category five intensity in the Atlantic Ocean, has caused unprecedented devastation across the Caribbean, making its destructive path through Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica, Barbados, and Jamaica...The storm first impacted Barbados, causing severe damage to the south coast and significantly affecting the fishing industry, with over 200 fishing vessels damaged or destroyed. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 90 percent of infrastructure has been damaged, including houses, roads, and the airport terminal on Union Island. Communication with the Southern Grenadines remains disrupted, and access to basic services is still limited...While in Grenada, Beryl made landfall in Carriacou as a Category 4 hurricane, damaging 95 percent of homes in Carriacou and Petite Martinique. (IFRC, 4 Jul 2024)

According to the 5 July Government Gazette, the parishes of Saint Patrick, Carriacou and Petite Martinique have been declared disaster zones from 1 July to 30 September 2024. The Damage and Needs Assessment (DANA) team confirmed that all data for Grenada should be finalized by 16 July. Currently, only the assessment for St. David is pending completion. Road blockages and assessment fatigue among residents are causing delays. The full extent of damage in Mayreau and Canouan remains unknown due to telecommunication issues, but similarly severe damage is expected. Bequia in the northern Grenadines sustained less damage. As Mayreau is far from the mainland, it is accessible only by a two-hour boat trip from St. Vincent. Although some aid is expected to trickle in from nearby islands, needs are widespread, and the aid is only guaranteed for the short term. An estimated 1,000 people remain in public shelters, a figure that does not account for those in private homes. (OCHA, 9 Jul 2024)